


My Heart Beats For You

by hanech



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-10-08 05:10:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17380208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanech/pseuds/hanech
Summary: Mike Wheeler hasn't felt anything in a long time. He wanders through the hallways of Hawkin's High School with lost hope for himself completely. But it only takes one glance for his heart to start beating again. A High School AU of our cutest couple Mileven :-)





	1. One Glance

Mike Wheeler was unsatisfied with his life (to say the least). He didn't know how he ended up in this room, sitting on the soft leather sofa with a weird looking lady with a clipboard across from him, looking at him concerned with calm eyes. The last thing he remembered was waking up in the middle of the living room on the floor, blood gushing out of his nose and mouth, leaking aimlessly onto the soft brown carpet. And somehow he had ended up here, a small room that smelled like lavender air fresheners and coated in green wallpaper. He looked around the cushioned area with dark droopy eyes, what the hell was going on?

"Micheal?" A small voice echoed throughout the room, awakening him from his haze. His eyes shifted toward the woman across from him and studied her closely. She looked young, maybe in her late 20's early 30's, sporting glasses that magnifed her green eyes. She had long blonde hair, tied up in a half up half down do and she wore a green button up with a black blazer. A sharp pain in his head brought him back down to earth. 

"Fuck," he swore, breathing sharply through his broken nose, his hand gravitating to the back of his head where the pain was getting worse and worse. 

"Micheal do you know why you're here?"

He opened his eyes, sighing slightly, "Did they finally find the body that's been in my trunk for the past 3 weeks? I knew it was starting to smell bad."

"Very funny, Micheal-"

"It's Mike. Micheal is so serious. That's what my mom calls me. I'm the furthest thing away from being a Micheal. Why would someone even name their kid Micheal? It's like setting them up for a lifetime of cleaning up vomit at amusement parks and getting high every day and sitting in your room and jerking off to old playboy magazines. Actually, that doesn't even sound that bad." He looked up to see the woman across from him with a very shocked face and all he could do was laugh. 

"Micheal-Mike sorry, this is very important. We need to know what lead up to the accident."

"Accident?" he scoffed, "So my dad screaming at me and beating me to the ground to the point that I wish God would just kill me now so I don't have to clean up yet another blood stain off the carpet so my mom doesn't have an anxiety attack is now viewed and classified as an accident?"

"Mike, we're only trying to help you. My name is Linda, and I'm going to be seeing you for the next two months or so to help you understand yourself and your situation. I know you're new in town and the fact that you're having a hard time is worrying me and your family. So please, can you tell me anything that happened leading up to the accident?"

Mike sighed, "It all started maybe a month ago..."

* * *

August 18th, 1987

Mike walked into Hawkins High slowly and quietly, trying to keep himself hidden amongst all of the other miserable children. He didn't want to screw it up, his first day back since 3rd grade. He had moved to a small town called Greendale the summer before 4th grade, leaving behind all of his childhood friends behind, leaving him sulking and depressed from the young age of 9. His dad had just gotten a new job in Hawkins and Mike couldn't decide if he was happy or fucking terrified to be back in his hometown. Most things stayed the same, with the exception of a few new stores and a new mall about 10 minutes west of his house on Maple street. Mike had no idea how his friends were like now...how they were doing? How they felt about him now? He walked through the stuffed hallways trying to navigate his way to his first period class, algebra, when he was suddenly slammed into the blue lockers on his left. 

"Watch it freak!" Troy Sanderson yelled at him, his friends snickering behind him.  _What a great way to start off the day, Wheeler!_ He picked himself up off the floor, took a deep breath, and continued his way until he reached room W345 and sat himself in a desk in the back that seemed way to small for his lanky figure. 

"Holy shit! Wheeler!? Is that you or am I so high that I'm seeing things?" a voice yelled from across the room. Mike looked up to see the one and only Max Mayfield looking in his direction, a smile turning up on his face. 

"Hi Max," he said as she approached him. Her hair was a lot longer than the bob she sported back in 81', flowing down her shoulders in a wave of red and orange. 

"You bitch why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" she said sitting in the seat next to him.

"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," he responded with a shrug. 

"Not a big deal? Mikey Wheeler is back in Hawkins. That's breaking news worthy. Mike you have to sit with us at lunch. The boys will shit their pants when they see you. Mikey boy isn't so little anymore," she said with a smirk. Mike was just about to respond before the teacher started her introduction and the plans for the class. Mike had a feeling in his small and black heart that high school wasn't gonna be as bad as he thought. And suddenly he felt his heart beat, a feeling he hadn't felt for a very long time. 

* * *

"Paladin!" Will yelled as Mike approached their lunch table. He smiled wide, his crooked jaw shining in the spotlight. 

"Holy fucking shit I thought you'd be dead by now!" Lucas screamed before wrapping Mike in a huge hug. 

"Yeah me too." Mike said sitting down and pulling out his tuna sandwich he had made earlier this morning. Dustin Henderson approached the table, stuffing his face with fries, before looking up at the sound of Mike's voice, and legit dropping his entire lunch tray, chocolate milk oozing on the white tile below them.

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD IS THAT MIKE!? Dude! We thought you died!" Dustin screamed.

"I literally just said that dipshit," Lucas included, adding an eye roll to his statement. Dustin decided to ignore Lucas's comment and continued to bombard Mike with questions about Greendale and Dungeons and Dragons and shit like that.

"Dustin you're gonna scare him away shut your fat mouth for one goddamn second Jesus Christ," Max spit.

"Did you just call me fat Maxine?" This led on to a whole banter back and forth between the table, even Will spitting back some badass combacks to Dustin after he called Will's mom a milf. Mike laughed, his heart feeling whole and full. He glanced to the kids around the cafeteria until one certain girl caught his attention. She sat with the "popular" kids, mainly Troy Sanderson and Stacey Miller. He even noticed Jennifer Hayes sat with her, a girl Mike had the biggest crush on in 2nd grade. But this girl, holy shit. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. She had short curly hair, and full lips, and eyes that could kill if she really tried. His heart beat faster than it ever has before. 

"I've seen that Mike has spotted his prey." Max said plainly, her eyes rolling. Mike's attention shifted back to Max, confusion in his eyes.

"What?"

"That's Eleanor Hopper, dude. She's totally off limits," Lucas added.

"Her dad is dating my mom. They've been going out for two years now," Will stated, making Mike even more anxious than he already was. 

"So what's her story?"

"Well she moved here in 6th grade, and immediately fell into that click and she's stuck with them ever since. Her dad is the Sheriff. She's dating the biggest douche-monkey on the planet, Troy Sanderson," Max said with another eye roll and Mike felt his heart drop into his stomach. He glanced over at her again and his heart started beating again, seeing her laugh at a joke that one of her friends said make his heart feel like it was going to beat out of his chest. She glowed, her laugh vibrating from across the cafeteria. 

"I heard she went to Daniel Klosowski's house freshmen year and sucked off four guys while she was there," Dustin stated proudly.

"Daniel Klosowski? Wasn't he the kid that shoved a crayon so far up his nose in 1st grade that an ambulance had to come and rush him to the hospital?"

"For sure. Now he has like 5 girlfriends and a red Corvette that his dad bought with his mom's divorce money," Max said with a chuckle.

Mike laughed and turned his head to look at Eleanor again, and this time caught her staring back with doe-like eyes. Mike smiled and turned his head to take a bite out of his sandwich and continued to listen to Dustin and Max fight about whether Micheal Jackson was the best dancer or all time, but Mike wasn't really listening, his thoughts were so loud about how beautiful that girl was. He glanced over again, Eleanor smiling and sending a small wave towards his way. Mike swore to God his his heart exploded right there in that moment. 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Growing Pains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We learn a little more about El and well...her "secrets."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! It's most definitely been a while! I realized that I started this fic in January and promised Chapter 2 would be out soon...It's April now and here we are! Sorry for that! :) But here it is... I hope you enjoy it.  
> Nelly

"So, Eleanor Hopper?" Linda smiled at him, eyes warm.

"Well, El for short."

* * *

 

El Hopper was unsatisfied with her life (to say the least). She was the average, cliche, popular girl, but that's not who she truly was. No that was Eleanor Hopper. She dug  El a deep hole after the end of 8th grade, knowing she needed to start new. New friends, new everything. She started dressing more scandalous, hanging out with Jennifer Hayes and Stacey Miller, and now was stuck in a blurred mess of a life she thought she needed. And worst of all, her newly found boyfriend Troy Sanderson, was probably the biggest mouthbreather she has ever met in her entire life. Yet she deals with it, the rumors, the gossip, the glances. She wishes she never started over. Most of all, she misses her old friends. She was going through growing pains.

El made her way to her locker quickly after the bell rang. She was on a mission. A mission to get out of the school and safely home before she ran into the one and only Maxine Mayfield. 

Ahh, Max.

El's former friend since 6th grade (even though Max will never admit it) and the best damned one she ever had. Let's say things between El and Max got messy...

But why exactly was El avoiding Max? Well it went a little like this...

It was third period, Chemistry, the only class El shared with Max, and things were pretty tense. Max absolutely refused to even glance at El after what happened, still hurt about their previous encounters. And it most definitely did not help when Mr. Morris assigned them as lab partners. 

"You've got to be shitting me Morris," Max immediately stated, looking at him with cold eyes.

"I'm not making any exceptions Ms. Mayfield."

Max turned to look at El with a straight face, El only giving a small smile back.

Before the bell rang, Max walked up to the flustered El Hopper and said, "I need to tell you something. Meet me after school."

And that is where El found herself now, trying her very hardest to not be found by Max Mayfield. It was either a coincidence or fate, and believe it or not, right as she walked out of the door the first person she saw was Max Mayfield, standing there, waiting patiently. El walked up to her slowly.

"Look, I know this is weird and you probably don't want to be seen talking to me in public so I'm going to make this short and sweet."

"Okay..." 

"Mike is back."

"Frogface Mike?"

"Yes."

"And why do I need to know this?"

"Because El, you know exactly why."

"I go by Eleanor now and no...I dont. I mean I know you and him were friends in elementary school and you told me about him a couple times but I'm not exactly sure how I play into this situation."

" Don't bullshit me, El. He's here for a fresh start, El. Which means you need to stay away from him. You're lucky he doesn't recognize you."

Wait what?

Oh yeah, I guess this needs some explanation.

Max has been lying, well everyone has been lying, and Mike has no clue.

The truth is El didn't move to Hawkins in 6th grade, she's been there her whole life.

And El has known Mike since kindergarten. 

* * *

July 5th, 1981

"Do you have everything?" El asked excitedly. 

"I think so, boric acid, gas cables, anti-freeze, metal containers, and the lighter," Mike responded quickly.

They had finally made their way to their spot. An old wooden barn about 5 miles away from El's house. Mike set all the equipment down on the ragged floor, and slowly started to put everything together. Finally, they were done, all that was left was to ignite it. 

"This is going to be the most bizarre thing I've ever done! I can't wait to tell the boys and Max all about it!" El screamed with excitement. 

"Are you ready for this? Green fire! Nothing can top that!"

"I'm just glad you're by my side while we do this. I love you Mike!" She wrapped him in a huge hug.

"Don't tell Lucas this but you're my best friend..." Mike smiled

"I wont."

"Promise?"

"Promise. Alright let's torch this bitch!" El screamed while Mike laughed. He slowly pulled the lighter out of his pocket and lit the solution. 

"3,2,1! Fire!" Mike yelled.

And fire indeed. Fire that burned the entire barn down leaving Mike and El screaming and crying the entire way back to El's house. 

When they arrived, Hopper was scorching with anger. 

"El... we need to talk. You and me...alone," he said with fierce eyes.

They slowly went into El's room, leaving young Mike in the other room, terrified.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Hopper screamed, "Do you know how much trouble you could get him into? You could have gotten yourselves killed!"

"I'm sorry," El muttered quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Imagine how much trouble he's going to be in when he get's home, El! You know the rules! Don't be stupid!"

"I'm sorry dad, I wasn't thinking!"

"Like hell you were! El you need to fix this. I'm sorry but I don't think you can see Mike anymore."

"NO DAD! He needs me, I need him! Don't do this to me, don't do this to him!"

"I'm sorry El but you got yourselves into this and you know how to resolve this. You need to make him forget."

"But...I would never use my powers on him. He's too good Dad!" She sobbed.

"El. This is not a decision you get to make. This is happening. You are not safe for him. I'm sorry El. I know you love him, and if you truly do then do what is best for him. You need to do this for him, not for yourself."

"Okay. I'll do it."

* * *

 

Hopper slowly drove the two back to Mike's place. Hopper stayed downstairs, telling Mike's parents that El can't see Mike anymore for personal reasons. They understood completely. Mike and El walked up the stairs to his room and sat on his bed, tears spilling out of both of their eyes.   
"El, I'm sorry this is all my fault-"

"No, Mike. This is on me."

"El-"

"Mike please let me talk. This is the hardest thing I'm ever going to do. But I need you to know that this is all out of love. You make me so happy, and I'm going to miss you so much."

"What?"

"I love you so much," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry."

She slowly placed her hand on Mike's wet cheek, seeing his confused face through blurred vision.

"This never happened, you don't know who Eleanor Hopper is, you and I never became friends and we don't know each other. You're going to wake up from your sleep not remembering a single thing about our friendship or who I am." She slowly took her hand off of Mike's cheek, sobbing as she watched Mike's eyes droop tiredly and him slouch down into a deep sleep. She kissed him on the cheek once more and that was it. 

One month later the Wheeler family moved to Greendale.

* * *

Present Day

El grabbed Max's arm and dragged her all the way to the hidden side of the school.

"I know, I know, I'm not safe for him. I've been trying to avoid him as much as possible."

"Oh, I bet. I'm not oblivious El. You were literally the first person he spotted in the cafeteria. The boys and I tried to scare him off as much as possible but he wouldn't budge. All he did was ask about you. And it didn't make things better when you were smiling and waving at him too."

"Shit, Max. I'm sorry, it's just so surreal seeing him again. I mean you get it. He's been gone for so long, Max. He's grown up."

"I know, he's so tall now. And I do get it El, but that doesn't mean that you can talk to him like nothing happened. All I'm saying is be careful."

"Okay, I promise." El gave Max a hug, before immediately being shoved off.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I-"

"Just because we've talked for the first time in forever, doesn't mean I forgive you for the shit you put me through. I may know all your secrets but I'm not your therapist and I'm most definitely not your friend, Eleanor. I think you're girlfriends are waiting for you." Max walked off leaving El standing there, a single tear running down her cheek. 

She had a lot to get used to. Growing pains, yeah, growing pains indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Make sure to leave a comment on how you feel about the story so far... i love feedback :-)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Chapter 2 should be coming sometime soon! It'll freakin' awesome for you guys to leave a comment cause ya girl loves reading your comments. :-) Han


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